This invention relates to a small recreational watercraft equipped with a water jet propulsion device in the aft portion of the bottom of the hull and which is designed to be maneuvered by an operator mounted on a deck on the aft portion of the hull and holding a steering bar installed in the fore portion of the hull; and more specifically it relates to the shape of the hull.
This type of watercraft is generally used close to shore in the ocean or on a lake for leisure and sports purposes, and is designed to permit the operator to enjoy relatively rough operation such as quick starts and sharp turns while maintaining the balance of the craft by shifting the weight of the operator's body.
In conventional small watercraft, the aft portion of the deck of the hull where the operator mounts the craft is formed in the shape of a platform or a step on almost all of its surface so that the operator can operate the craft while standing (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,453, for example), or the center portion of the aft deck protrudes slightly upwardly to form a saddle-like seat connected to the engine compartment wall in front so that the operator may sit astride the seat (see, for example, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61-232986).
In the conventional watercraft as described above with a seat on the aft deck, since the operator sits astride the seat, leg space is limited. Moreover, when two people are on board, it is difficult to switch positions while afloat.
Furthermore, in this conventional watercraft, since the seat is connected to the engine compartment toward the front, if the operator tries to board the craft near the center (measured in the longitudinal direction), the seat impedes such boarding. Therefore, both the operator and any passenger in many cases must board by climbing over the deck from the aft end of the hull, but in the conventional watercraft in which the engine and the auxiliary parts are installed in the fore portion of the hull, the fore portion of the hull is submerged below the water while the aft end of the hull is kept afloat well above the water line until the operator and passenger get on board, thereby making it difficult to get on board even from the aft end.
The primary object of this invention is to provide a step-through type watercraft which the operator can operate while in a position much like what when riding a motor scooter, with less fatigue even after many hours of operation, in addition to allowing boarding near the center of the watercraft, offering optimal riding comfort and higher performance regarding sharp turns and quick starts than the conventional watercraft, thereby making it possible to fully enjoy rapid travel on the water.